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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27178679">A Little Namesake</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlinemuse/pseuds/onlinemuse'>onlinemuse</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Tyler Rules [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Stargirl (TV 2020)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Babies, Big Brother Rick Tyler, Disabled Wendi Harris, F/M, Pre-Relationship, Wendi Harris and Rex Tyler Live</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 02:36:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,742</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27178679</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/onlinemuse/pseuds/onlinemuse</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>For once, Beth was completely still. Did—</p><p>
  <i>Did she hear that right?</i>
</p><p>It was only natural, the immediate way her eyes sought out Rick in the midst of the noisy hospital room, her expression wavering somewhere between shock and confusion and—</p><p>
  <i>“Really?”</i>
</p><p>And the dam finally burst when she saw him smile and nod.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Beth Chapel &amp; Wendi Harris, Beth Chapel/Rick Tyler, Wendi Harris/Rex Tyler</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Tyler Rules [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1983823</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A Little Namesake</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/freckledpianoman/gifts">freckledpianoman</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Many thanks to <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lonersoforlorn/pseuds/Lonersoforlorn">Lonersoforlorn</a> for being an awesome beta reader and encouraging me as I was writing this. </p><p>For those of you that know me, dead moms is a comics trope that I hate so it led to me single handedly starting the trend of disabled moms. This is the debut of wheelchair user <a href="https://www.newmobility.com/wp-content/uploads/santina-luciano.jpg">Wendi Harris</a>, though she's quite a bit different from the little snippet we saw of her on the show.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Beth always seemed to find herself in the thick of things whenever the Tyler family experienced something momentous. Like when Wendi had found out that she was pregnant again and Beth had witnessed the utter chaos that unfolded from there.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re both <em>too old</em> to be having babies,” Rick glared at Rex, who had the decency to shrink down in his seat. “This is what happens when you don’t keep your hands to yourself, dad.”</p><p> </p><p>“Rick don’t hulk out,” Beth felt Bex snuggle into her side as she shot a facepalming Wendi a sympathetic look. “I’m worried about your mom too. Ooh, if you’re looking for an OBGYN, my mom says that Dr Harcourt’s one of the best in the state, she’s right on the fourth floor at my mom’s hospital—”</p><p> </p><p>She made a mental note to take Chuck out for another research night and compile whatever she could find on middle age pregnancies.</p><p> </p><p>Rex looked between her and his son, down at how Rick had laced their fingers together after she had put her hand over his and blinked. Was this really his grouchy, temperamental kid? The same kid who outright <em>stalked off</em> if anyone his age tried to get too close for comfort?</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>His wife was right, Beth was a little miracle worker. </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Shouldn’t I be the one lecturing you on keeping your hands to yourself?”</p><p> </p><p>The glowering, unimpressed look that Rick shot him, screaming <em>don’t</em> <em>you start with me</em> was all Wendi Harris. The flashbacks it gave him made him lose whatever bravado he had left.</p><p> </p><p>“You’re supposed to be the responsible one, old man, don’t distract me!”</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(Chemistry genius he might have been, but he never knew when to stop talking.) </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Don't judge me on my relationship with Beth, <em>we’re </em>not the ones who made another baby.”</p><p> </p><p>Beth was quick to spot the look of unholy glee that overtook Wendi’s face, the way the older woman cocked an eyebrow, the lazy smile and the satisfied cross of her arms made the little warning bell in the back of Beth’s mind sound out.</p><p> </p><p>Her instincts were rarely wrong.</p><p> </p><p>“You already made one?”</p><p> </p><p>Beth had never heard Rick make a noise like the one he did in that moment, a cross between an engine backfiring and a dying goose that made Bex vibrate as she doubled over cackling. She smothered her own laugh in Bex’s mussy hair lest he heard her, her face burning hot.</p><p> </p><p>And <em>that</em> was why Wendi always had the last word in the Tyler house.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Wendi’s belly had grown ginormous in the following months and Rex and Rick’s overprotectiveness intensified with it. It was even worse when they found out that the baby was a girl. Luckily Wendi was a formidable woman and seeing the father-son superhero pair being cowed by a woman who barely reached four feet in her wheelchair was an endless source of entertainment for Beth.</p><p> </p><p>Bex on the other hand, had been over the moon over finally getting a little sister, never missing a chance to yell that her dad and brother were now outnumbered.</p><p> </p><p>“What’re you talking about, squirt?” Rick grumbled good-naturedly during breakfast. “You’ve already got Beth. Or was that whole big sister thing just all talk?”</p><p> </p><p>Bex had begged her brother into making strawberry syrniki for them that morning and Beth practically wiggled in excitement as she watched him, sitting side by side with the little girl at the kitchen counter. Rick seemed to notice her weakness for strawberries, judging from how he always snuck her a few whenever Bex wasn’t looking.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s not all talk, Riri!” Bex shot back, plopping her head on Beth’s shoulder with a dramatic pout. “She’s <em>the best!</em> But this way I get a big sister <em>and</em> a little sister. It’ll be all girls just like the JSA.</p><p> </p><p>And you too, I guess,” she added offhandedly, which had Beth giggling into her mocha.</p><p> </p><p>Rick rolled his eyes, but Beth could see the dimple in his left cheek deepen as he flashed her a knowing smile.</p><p> </p><p>But peaceful mornings in the Tyler household rarely lasted, especially when Bex had started goading her brother over middle names for their new sister after breakfast.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(Thank goodness Rex and Wendi already came up with a name for the baby. She was <strong>not</strong> ready for another repeat of the two of them grabbing the hourglass at the same time. That was the day Rex discovered that the hourglass could work on more than one person.) </em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Rick, you <em>can’t</em> name our baby sister Rockbell, Rowan’ll get made fun of at school!”</p><p> </p><p>Bex shouldn’t have been able to climb onto his shoulders so easily, but this was the same kid who scaled up S.T.R.I.P.E when Rick had brought her with him to the Pit Stop <em>(“the sitter flaked so I’m watching the squirt for the day”) </em>and had given Pat and Barb a heart attack.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s a middle name, Bex, not the end of the world.”</p><p> </p><p>“Beth, tell him,” she practically dangled off her brother as she turned pleading eyes towards the older girl. “<em>Pleeease!</em> He’ll listen to you.”</p><p> </p><p>Beth’s eyes crinkled at the corners as she beamed at the pair of siblings. She had always been a smiler <em>(her mom said that she had been born with a bright, gummy smile, eyes wide open and observing everything)</em> but there was something about the Tylers that made her grin so hard that her cheeks ached for days afterwards.</p><p> </p><p>“I think you underestimate my powers. It’s not like he listens to <em>everything</em> I say.”</p><p> </p><p>It was impossible to avoid Rick’s gaze as she said that and her face went warm at the sight of him raising an eyebrow, the corner of his mouth curling up into a brief, teasing smile. He did that a lot lately, but she barely had time to think about it before he shifted to stop his sister from falling off.</p><p> </p><p>“And my middle name’s Henrietta, so I’m probably not the best person to ask,” Beth grinned sheepishly, craning her neck just to look up at the little girl. “I already get enough grief from the girls about sharing a name with Henry.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t drag Beth into this, I was just messing with ya,” Rick cut in, wincing when he felt his hair being yanked. “Rowan will live and big talk coming from you, <em>Rebecca Gwendoline</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t call me that, that’s <em>babushka</em>’s name.”</p><p> </p><p>“And <em>babushka</em> isn’t around to use it so it’s all yours.”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t make me tell Beth you were being mean to me, <em>Richard Dean!</em>”</p><p> </p><p>And <em>that</em> was her cue to leave. She wondered how long it would take before they noticed that she was gone this time.</p><p> </p><p>If she had taken a second to look back at them, maybe she would’ve seen the Tyler siblings winking at each other as Bex hooked her pinkie with Rick’s, thick as thieves.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>“Your children are arguing over baby names again.”</p><p> </p><p>Beth waltzed into Wendi’s art studio with a dramatic sigh, letting the scent of fresh canvas cutting through ink and mint soap, the lyrics of Schoolhouse Rock’s <em>Three Is a Magic Number</em> playing in the background wash over her. The studio with its pastel yellow walls and hanging pots of African violets and trailing jade plants was a calm oasis in the middle of the chaos that made up the Tyler household.</p><p> </p><p>“Are you sure letting them have free rein over Rowan’s middle name was a good idea?”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t underestimate them, sunflower,” Wendi quipped, not missing a beat as she looked up and grinned at her in middle of painting.</p><p> </p><p>The older woman was in her element, lounging in a deep blue loveseat in paint-splattered maternity overalls and one of Rex’s old chemistry pun t-shirts, a spare pencil tucked into the messy top knot she had thrown her hair in.</p><p> </p><p>“They’ll agree on a name before I go into labour. Well, hopefully,” she added as an afterthought, tapping the end of her brush against her chin.</p><p> </p><p>“They probably already did. Their fights have been a little over the top lately, they’re definitely trying to hide something.”</p><p> </p><p>Beth plopped down next to her with a giggle, swinging her feet as she cheerfully hummed along to the music. It was almost Pavlovian, how the sound of Schoolhouse Rock immediately reminded her of Saturday mornings, blaring in the background while her dad made strawberry and brown sugar waffles.</p><p> </p><p>“They’ll tell me when they’re ready.”</p><p> </p><p>She spotted the bright paint on the canvas out of the corner of her eye <em>(Rex liked to joke that she had a strong affinity for yellow) </em>and froze, barely registering how Wendi had eagerly turned the canvas towards her for a better look.</p><p> </p><p>“Is—is that <em>me?</em>”</p><p> </p><p>There in the centre of the painting, curled up in an armchair with an open book and a deep look of concentration on her face was Beth herself. Wendi had spared no detail, from the long yellow to orange ombre dress highlighting satiny brown skin and dainty bare feet, to the rainbow earrings and the little sunflower necklace that Rick had given to her at the Dugan-Whitmores’ holiday party last year nestled in the hollow of her throat.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you think?”</p><p> </p><p>Wendi grinned at the stunned look on Beth’s face, the spark in her eyes and the curve of her smile mirroring her son’s. That alone was far better than any reaction she ever had to her work. She wondered if Beth had the slightest idea that this was how she had always seen her, how her son had always seen her ever since the day that Rick and Bex brought Beth home with them for dinner.  </p><p> </p><p>“Did I do you justice?”</p><p> </p><p><em>“It doesn’t look like me,”</em> Beth’s voice was hushed, full of awe and wonder before a little gasp escaped her as she realized what she just said. “I mean it <em>is</em> me obviously, you did a fantastic job, I just didn’t realize that this is how I actually <em>look</em> like. I’m not making sense, aren’t I?”</p><p> </p><p>The tension melted away as she leaned back with a little sigh, feeling the older woman gently squeezing her shoulder. The comforting gesture made her beam back at Wendi, her eyes bright with stars.</p><p> </p><p>“But I love it. <em>Thank you</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Beth wanted to say more, but she bolted upright in a panic when she heard the older woman make a startled noise, her eyes wide as she looked down at Wendi’s belly.</p><p> </p><p>“What’s going on, what’s wrong? Is it Braxton Hicks? <em>Is your water breaking?</em>”</p><p> </p><p>“No, no, no, it’s okay,” Wendi laughed, placing Beth’s hand over her bump with fond eyes. “Looks like all my kids have great sense of timing. I think Rowan just wanted to say hi to you.”</p><p> </p><p>Beth practically glowed as she felt a happy kick against her palm. It didn’t matter that she had felt baby Rowan kick so many times before, it was always so new and exciting for her. She could never get tired of it, but then again—</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>She never really had a chance to see something like this up close before.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Her expression grew pensive.</p><p> </p><p>“Beth? Everything okay, honey?”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh? Oh, I’m fine, it’s—” she trailed into a sigh, at a sudden loss for words.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(Only a few people knew this, but Beth’s mother had been pregnant with twins. It was rare, but there were times when she’d watch Rick and Bex together and start daydreaming about a life where her brother hadn’t been stillborn. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>There were times where she wondered what kind of person John Thomas Chapel would’ve become if he had the chance to grow up with her.)</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“I love my parents, I do,” she insisted, smiling as she felt the baby kick against her palm. “But I’m the only JSA member who’s an only child and… I just remember being really <em>lonely</em> growing up. Sometimes I wonder what it’d be like having a sibling.”</p><p><br/><br/>She let out a giggle as Rowan kicked again, almost as if the little girl was reassuring her.</p><p> </p><p>“At this point Bex is the closest thing I have to a little sister.”</p><p> </p><p>Wendi made a soft sound in the back of her throat, coaxing the younger girl into resting her head on her shoulder as she wrapped her arms around her. Beth let the scent of coffee and citrus oil, a warm hand rubbing her back soothe her as she felt a kiss being pressed to her crown.</p><p> </p><p>“You know,” she could hear the teasing smile in her voice, “Bex keeps going around telling people that you're her sister.”</p><p> </p><p><em>“No!”</em> Beth gasped, looking up at the older woman with delight.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>One of Beth’s many snooty neighbours, Mrs. Vreeland had a very one-sided rivalry with Bridget Chapel. She could never say anything about Bridget’s perfect record: accomplished surgeon, happily married, involved with many respectable charities. But there was one thing Mrs. Vreeland always held against her. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“It’s a shame your daughter’s so…” she would sniff and tilt her head, looking at Beth as if she was a blemish. “<strong>Odd</strong>. The poor girl’s a social disaster, no wonder her classmates don’t voluntarily spend time with her.” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>Mrs. Vreeland had made the unfortunate mistake of saying it earshot of Bex, who she had been babysitting that day. The feisty little girl, who shared her brother’s temper and rebellious streak, had given the mean lady a <strong>look</strong>, still holding hands with Beth as she cheerfully announced that she and Beth were sisters. The way that Mrs. Vreeland had turned green, the way her gaze ping ponged back and forth between the two girls made Bex grin in response. </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“I don't think mom and dad’ll be happy to hear you saying all that, uh—actually I don’t think you said who you are.” Bex’s face scrunched in mock confusion and Beth had to disguise her laugh as a cough. “About Beth. She’s their <strong>favourite</strong> and she’s the only one my big brother listens to. You remember my brother, right?” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>The two girls barely waited until Mrs. Vreeland had flounced off with an indignant huff before they collapsed into giggles on Beth’s front lawn.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>The incident still made Beth double over with laughter whenever she remembered it.</p><p> </p><p>“I can’t believe she still does that. She really loves running people in circles.”</p><p> </p><p>“She does it because she loves <em>you</em>, sunflower. We all do.”</p><p> </p><p>“Even Rowan?” Beth teased.</p><p> </p><p>“As if there’s any other reason why she behaves whenever she’s around you.” Wendi hummed, feeling the baby shift as if in agreement with her. “Why else do you think we’re always fighting to spend time with you?”</p><p> </p><p>She had lost count of the number of times that she had found her children with put out expressions on their face, near identical whenever they saw Rex and Beth lose track of time talking about chemistry or Wendi having Beth pose for her newest piece. There was no doubt that baby Rowan would take after her siblings in that regard.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“Bad enough that I have to deal with squirt and the new baby,” she had heard Rick grumbling one night when he thought no one would hear him. “But now I have to worry about my own freaking parents stealing her. I can’t catch a break.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>She didn’t have to look at him to know he was pouting, sure that he was this close to picking up Beth and walking off with her one of these days.)</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“And Rick’s the most insistent that you spend time with us,” she added, the beginnings of a mischievous smile starting to form. “He definitely doesn’t consider you a sister.”</p><p> </p><p><em>“Huh?”</em> Beth blinked up at her owlishly. “What does that even mean?”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s an older sibling thing.”</p><p> </p><p>Wendi guessed that even with a perfect GPA, there were some things that Beth needed to learn about firsthand.</p><p> </p><hr/><p> </p><p>Childbirth, Beth thought as she reminisced over the past fourteen hours, was an absolute circus.</p><p> </p><p>Wendi’s water breaking had been doomsday and Beth and Rick had barely been able to stop a frantic Rex from using the hourglass to carry his wife, wheelchair and all to the van despite her protests.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“Honey, I can get to the driveway just fine, put me down already—!” </em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Bex, stay with Beth, I’ll grab your backpack—Dad? DAD! Did you find the car keys yet?!”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Wait, Rick, where’s the overnight bag?”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Shit! I knew I forgot something.”</em>
</p><p>
  
</p><p>
  <em>“Don’t swear in front of your sister, young man—”) </em>
</p><p> </p><p>Beth couldn’t believe they actually made it out of the Tylers’ driveway in one piece and with all the chaos that ensued in Wendi’s hospital room, it was a miracle that the doctors hadn’t kicked out the dramatic father-son duo in a fit of exasperation.</p><p> </p><p>As feisty and temperamental as Wendi Harris normally was, she remained cool as a cucumber throughout her entire labour. She quipped in between contractions that this was nothing compared to Rick’s birth, her eyes bright with mischief as she declared ‘twenty hours alone for that big head of his’.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(“Mom!” The look of sheer horror on Rick’s face was comical enough to make her choke on air before collapsing into giggles. “Beth does <strong>not</strong> need to know that!”<br/></em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“I’m your mother, Richard Dean, it’s my job to embarrass you.”</em>
</p><p>
  <br/>
  <br/>
  <em>“Not while you’re in labour!!”)</em>
</p><p> </p><p>But the end result was worth it.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Chamaniya!</em>”</p><p> </p><p>Wendi giggled at Beth when Rick finally guided her over to her bedside, still a little loopy from the painkillers.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>(For all that Wendi lamented over not being as in touch with her Ukrainian heritage as she hoped to be, there were times when she'd unconsciously lapse into the odd mix of Russian and Hebrew she grew up hearing from her grandparents, although it usually happened whenever she had too much coffee.) </em>
</p><p> </p><p>She coaxed the younger girl into leaning down so she could briefly press her cheek to hers in affection.</p><p> </p><p>“Please tell me that Rick and Bex stopped fighting long enough to decide a middle name for this little bean,” Beth cooed at the little pink bundle in Wendi’s arms.</p><p> </p><p>Even though the littlest Tyler was barely an hour old, looking little more than a newborn kitten as she let out a tiny yawn, she already had chubby apple cheeks and the cutest little nose. Though it was currently scrunched in the tiniest frown, not unlike the grumpy scowl that was often on her big brother’s face.</p><p> </p><p>But even with their differences—Rick looking like his dad, the baby a perfect little carbon copy of her mother, Bex being a mix of both her parents—Beth thought it was amazing how the siblings all shared the same pair of snapping brown eyes, expressive and framed with too-long lashes.</p><p> </p><p>“Have you met those two?”</p><p> </p><p>The older woman was exhausted and soaked with sweat as Rex fussed over her, brushing her damp curls out of her face. Having a baby in her mid-forties was no joke, but she still had the energy to joke, shooting a sly look at her older children as she ignored their twin expressions of mock affront.</p><p> </p><p>“It took a while, but they finally came up with one,” Rex said as he helped his wife carefully shift the little bundle in her arms so that Beth could take a closer look. “Meet Rowan Elizabeth Tyler.”</p><p> </p><p>For once, Beth was completely still. Did—</p><p> </p><p><em>Did</em> <em>she hear that right? </em></p><p> </p><p>It was only natural, the immediate way her eyes sought out Rick in the midst of the noisy hospital room, her expression wavering somewhere between shock and confusion and—</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>“Really?”</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Rick may have had Rex’s looks, but whenever his face took on that fond expression that made him look so much younger? The one that was so meltingly soft that Court and Yolanda insisted was reserved just for her?</p><p> </p><p>That was all Wendi.</p><p> </p><p>And the dam finally burst when she saw him smile and nod.</p><p> </p><p>Beth barely registered how she had buried her face in his chest, his arms tightening around her as she sobbed into his chest in between incoherent scoldings and swatting his shoulders with how <em>full</em> her heart was right now.</p><p> </p><p>“Shh, it’s okay sweetheart, don’t cry,” he murmured in her ear as he rubbed soothing circles in the small of her back.</p><p> </p><p>“I <em>knew</em> something was up,” Beth’s voice was muffled against his chest, “You and Bex kept fighting to throw me off and then you go around and do <em>this</em>.”<br/><br/></p><p>“Do you have any idea how hard it was to hide it from you?” She could feel him chuckling from where he pressed his cheek against hers, a shiver running down her spine at the action. “You’re the one who figured out all our identities, you would’ve seen through us in a heartbeat if we didn’t pretend.”</p><p> </p><p>He caught one of her flailing hands and pressed a warm, tender kiss to her palm before placing it over his chest.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, no more tears, you’re making it look like I bullied you or something. Mom and dad are gonna have my head.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh <em>shush</em>,” she managed to choke out, but any heat in her voice dissolved as her tears turned to laughter. “You named a <em>baby</em> after me. How else was I supposed to react?”</p><p> </p><p>Her face was still streaked with tears, but now she was practically <em>beaming</em> up at him as he brushed the back of his fingers over the curve of her cheek and it made his heart stutter in his chest. Rick rather liked being the one to put that smile on her face, brighter than the sunflowers he had brought for baby Rowan Elizabeth.</p><p> </p><p>“So,” he coughed, trying to hide the sudden flush on his face, “You don’t want to hold Rowan then?”</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t test me, Rick, give her here.”</p><p> </p><p>Beth carefully cradled Rowan in her arms, practically glowing with awe as she looked at her blinking little face. She could still feel Rick’s warm weight from where she was pressed against his side, not noticing the way he was gazing at her as she let Rowan grasp at her finger.</p><p> </p><p>It was probably a good thing in hindsight, Rick thought as he pointedly avoided his parents’ knowing looks at the longing that softened the hard edges of his face. He knew he was gonna get it from his family later, but for now, at least for now—</p><p> </p><p>He was going to enjoy this moment as long as he could.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>With how important Beth is to the Tyler siblings, I refuse to believe that they wouldn't suggest Elizabeth for their <a href="https://i.pinimg.com/originals/4d/41/75/4d417561ece5b9a005e49dcb155efdd9.jpg">baby sister</a>'s middle name.</p><p>I headcanon Rick being Ukrainian Jewish through his mom, though they're not very observant other than observing minor holidays like Purim and Hanukkah and avoiding eating pork and shellfish.</p><p>And <i>chamaniya</i> is Hebrew for sunflower. Wendi has a lot of cute little nicknames for Beth like <i>solnyshko</i> (Russian for little sun) or <i>hibou</i> and <i>chouette</i> (both French for owl).</p><p>Rick may or may not have picked up a couple of them when he's not calling Beth sweetheart.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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